Sonar systems are used for detecting the range of an object. Such systems emit an acoustic wave which travels through the air and is known to be affected by wind. Thus the accuracy of sonar systems may be reduced during high wind conditions.
The acoustic wave sensor includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter sends a pulse of sound often referred to in the art as a ping. The ping travels through the air until it hits an object. The receiver listens for the reflection of the ping from the object, also referenced in the art as an echo. The distance to an object is measured by processing the time of the transmission of a ping to the reception of an echo. However, since the pulse and the echo are transmitted through the air, the time that the pulse takes to get to an object and the time the echo takes to get to the receiver may be influenced by such factors as wind speed, humidity, air temperature and the like.
It is known to surround the sensors with shields so as to mitigate the effect of wind on the performance of these sensors. However, the use of shields places a static barrier over the sensor and thus does not account for dynamic properties such as changing speed and direction of the wind.
Accordingly, it remains desirable to have a sonar system which may be optimized so as to reduce the effect of wind on the performance of the sensor in a dynamic environment.